3 final hands that changed WSOP history!
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We all love the casino because it combines having fun and the chance to win money. What’s not to like? Whether you want to experience the fun on the roulette or the blackjack table you can find it all here at Coral.
However, the game that produces perhaps the most drama is poker. From trying to bluff your way to victory, to the unknown of the next card, it is really enthralling.
But regardless of how intense poker can get, it’s never more enthralling than when it comes down to the wire. Two players, heads-up, battling it out for millions. Here Coral writers take a look at three of the greatest final hands the WSOP has thrown at us.
This was the Main Event final of the 2012 WSOP and the stakes were huge. As well as walking away with the prestigious bracelet, the winner would receive around $8.5m, and while the runner up would walk away with a tidy sum of $5m, it’s not the same as winning.
With the final hand well underway, both players had gone all-in, a quick way of really ramping up the excitement levels – this was it. After the initial two cards were dealt to the players, Merson, with K-5 vs Sylvia’s Q-J, had a slight advantage.
Then when the dealer laid out the first three cards, it was clear that Sylvia was in trouble. Needing a Q or a J, Sylvia had just two cards for his prayers to be answered, but unfortunately for him they weren’t. Yet, the tension as the two players waited to see the final card was almost unbearable, but just a mere moment later, Merson had won the most sought after prize in poker – and millions of dollars! Nice.
Esfandiari scoops over $18m!
The same year saw the first $1m buy-in game at the WSOP, and with such a big fee to play, there will be no surprises that the prize was equally as impressive. In fact, it was the single biggest prize in sports history at the time and earned Antonio Esfandiari a platinum bracelet in the process too.
Again, it had all the ingredients of a classic poker match. The stakes were being raised, by millions at a time! Then Esfandiari went all in and Sam Trickett, his opponent, called him. Time to see the cards.
Esfandiari was in control as the cards were coming out, but once again it would all ride on the last card. When a 2 of hearts came out, that was it, Trickett had nothing to match his rival and Esfandiari had won a fortune. $18,346,673 to be precise. A decent day at the office!
Joe McKeehen gets his title
Entering the final table of the WSOP 2015 Main Event, Joe McKeehen was expected to go on and win the title, but that doesn’t take away from the great feeling that playing poker can give you, and the huge prizes!
After seeing off the competition, it would be down to McKeehen and Josh Beckley, and Beckley needed a miracle that didn’t come about.
So, on the final hand, with Beckley hanging on in hope, the card he needed didn’t arrive and his rival had won $7.7m and the prestigious title.
So, there you have it, some of the biggest wins on the poker scene. The huge money on the line just adds to the excitement and unknown of poker, with the tension and nerves increased with so much at stake. These three players have been lucky to hit the big winners – now it’s down to you to try your hand on our poker tab. Good luck!
